BBC dumps Gulf oil spill on Middlesbrough

In case you've ever wondered just how far a Mars rover might have wandered if it had set out from your front door, or indeed the exact area covered by the Chernobyl radiation cloud, if that ill-fated nuclear facility had been built at your mum's house, then look no further than BBC Dimensions.

Auntie's "experimental prototype" is designed to "bring home the human scale of events and places in history", and "simply juxtaposes the size of historical events with your home and neighbourhood, overlaying important places, events and things on a satellite view of where you live".

Yes, it's Google Maps a-go-go, and here's what happens when you dump the 2010 Gulf oil spill on Middlesbrough, which is a not unattractive idea:

Alternatively, why not ask the Luftwaffe to drop a bomb on the offices of the Croydon Advertiser:

Lovely. We have to say we're disappointed that the Beeb hasn't included its favoured measurement in Dimensions, viz: the orbital height of the International Space Station in one dollar coins. It is, though, a work in progress, so we look forward to seeing that and just how many Olympic-sized swimming pools it would take to cover Wales in due course. ®